The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-03-09
Work of the Late Congress.

Work OF the Late Congress.
review@of the work of the Forty
ninth Congress will show that with all
its shortcomings it has enacted more
than the usual number of important |
laws, not to mention the many useless
and evil measures ON which it put, at |
least, a temporary quietus. What it has
done fairly counter-balances its acts Of |
omission, and were it not for it's failure
to revise the tariff and reduce the sur
plus by decreasing taxes and extending
the free list, there would be little room
for just criticism.
The Presidential Succession bill, and
the bill for counting the electoral votes.
settle questions which threatened grave
danger to the peace and stability of the
Government. They are measures which
in the early days of the Republic would
have commanded but little attention,
but which recent events forced upon the
rejecting minds of the country. 1t is
now scarcely possible to repeat the great
fraud of 1876 by which an elected Pres
ident was robbed of his Office.
The repeal of the tenure of Office act
removes from the statute book an I'M
constitutional limitation ON the powers
of the President, which would never
have been countenanced but for the in
tense partisan spirit which ruled the
deliberations of the dominant political
party in the years Immediately succeed
ing the war. The repeal is a measure
right in itself, and altogether acceptable
to Democrats because it enlarges the
power of Democratic President.
About fifty millions of acres of land
have been restored to the public domain,
and the good work would not have been
limited to this amount had the Repub.
IIcan Senate eo-operated more heartily
with the Democratic House. Senator
Georges efforts ia this behalf are reck-
oned as among the most valuable ser
vices ever performed by him for the
country.
The ownership of immense tracts of
land by aliens in the Territories had
come to be a great and growing evil.
This has been stopped.
The Anti-Polygamy bill, which expe-
rience has shown to be necessary in or
der to make effective the objects of the
Edmunds bill, promises good results,
though it may be that still harsher
measures will be suggested by the con-
duct of the criminal class in Utah.
The bill to regulate interstate Com
merce meets with almost universal favor
Those who have heretofore profted by
the determinations which it denounce'
alone object to it, if we except the rail
road corporations to be controlled by it
who, if the provisions of the bill be ben.
eficial or advantageous, would still object
because their long term of license makes
them regard any sort of interference by
} Government as a trespass on their pri
vate rights.
The bill referring all private claims tC
the Court Of Claims will relieve Congress
of much unnecessary annoyance, and
the bill authorizing suits against the
United States, except for war claims, il
one the passage of which has already
been postponed too long.
1t is believed that the agricultural ex
pertinent stations, provisions for the es
adjustment of which were made, will
result in great good to the largest and
most deserving class of our people-the
agriculturists.
The bill regulating the jurisdiction Of
the circuit courts is most valuable
measure Comments on its provisions
will be found elsewhere.
In addition to these specially men
toned bills there are others of ippor-
lance: Regulating the sale of oleomar-
garine; ordering a thorough inquiry
into the affairs and management of the
Pacific railroads; reducing the fees on
postal money orders; extending the free
delivery system to cities of ten thousand
inhabitants, and to cities whose postal
receipts amount to $4,000; relieving
the merchant marine of number of
vexatious and needless burdens 1.-THE
Dingley shipping bilD; redeeming trade
dollars; prohibiting the use of convict
labor on public buildings; ordering the
adjustment of railroad land grants; al
lotting lands in severalty to Indians
authorizing the issue of small silver GER
tifcates; giving money for Congress
sional library; pensiouing soldiers of the
Mexican war.